How to identify on the most important tasks at a given moment?

[anahodil]

I feel like I am getting burned out constantly trying to make sure I am working on the most important things. I use an app to track my tasks, but I feel like I have to review the entire list to make sure I am working on the most urgent things. I can tell myself that project A is more important than project B, but that does not necessarily mean that all tasks for project A are more urgent than all tasks for project B. I have tried using priority tags, but that doesn't really seem to capture it. Am I the only one running into this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions how to prioritize their projects to help focus on the right task at the right time?

 

[Shady Waxwing]

Welcome to our club! It's a big club and you have friends around the world. I can say that priority tags don't work, because my life moves and changes, so that re-tagging becomes a waste of time. What helps me is being clear on my areas of focus (horizon 2 in the GTD horizons model), and reviewing my calendar, tasks, and projects often enough. How often is that? Often enough that I don't lie awake at 3am worrying about whether I'm working on the right stuff.

 

[TesTeq]

I can tell myself that project A is more important than project B, but that does not necessarily mean that all tasks for project A are more urgent than all tasks for project B. I have tried using priority tags, but that doesn't really seem to capture it. Am I the only one running into this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions how to prioritize their projects to help focus on the right task at the right time?

@anahodil Do you really care? What bad will happen if your choices will be optimal in 95% of cases instead of 100%?

 

[John Forrister]

Fine-tune the contexts for your tasks so that you are not looking at options you cannot do. For example, if your most important project has tasks that can only be done when you're on the secure network at your office or via VPN, make sure those tasks are on a list such as "On secure network."

Also, we recently did a webinar on Prioritizing in GTD. Email connect[at]davidco.com if you would like a guest pass to watch the recording.

 

[ivanjay205]

I feel like I am getting burned out constantly trying to make sure I am working on the most important things. I use an app to track my tasks, but I feel like I have to review the entire list to make sure I am working on the most urgent things. I can tell myself that project A is more important than project B, but that does not necessarily mean that all tasks for project A are more urgent than all tasks for project B. I have tried using priority tags, but that doesn't really seem to capture it. Am I the only one running into this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions how to prioritize their projects to help focus on the right task at the right time?

I find that 99% of the time when I have trouble identifying the most important next action at the moment my lists too long. This can be poorly defined contexts and I need to think of that or too much work in my system. The first thing I typically do is a minireview and pause some of those lower priority projects. That helps to filter them down to a manageable list.

After that, if you work with your contexts you are picking the higher priority from that list not necessarily working about your project. Something on your laptop might be the most important action item but if you dont have access to your laptop at the moment it doesnt matter

 

[gtdstudente]

I feel like I am getting burned out constantly trying to make sure I am working on the most important things. I use an app to track my tasks, but I feel like I have to review the entire list to make sure I am working on the most urgent things. I can tell myself that project A is more important than project B, but that does not necessarily mean that all tasks for project A are more urgent than all tasks for project B. I have tried using priority tags, but that doesn't really seem to capture it. Am I the only one running into this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions how to prioritize their projects to help focus on the right task at the right time?

anaholdil'

"I feel like I am getting burned out constantly trying to make sure I am working on the most important things.". . . .

While literally applying the "Eisenhower Matrix" externally might very well bog-down the crucial Weekly Review for Projects and Next Actions, ect. with much too high of an effort/time cost addition to GTD since GTD is already an 'External Brain/Methodology/System' to be suitably streamlined if anything, however, the "Eisenhower Matrix" might be GTD helpful as a Mental Habit exercise/means to build-up/develop one's natural Intuition into a more 'Trusted Intuition Muscle'?

As you see GTD fit

 

[anahodil]

Welcome to our club! It's a big club and you have friends around the world. I can say that priority tags don't work, because my life moves and changes, so that re-tagging becomes a waste of time. What helps me is being clear on my areas of focus (horizon 2 in the GTD horizons model), and reviewing my calendar, tasks, and projects often enough. How often is that? Often enough that I don't lie awake at 3am worrying about whether I'm working on the right stuff.

That is a good point that sometimes it just requires frequent review. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[anahodil]

Fine-tune the contexts for your tasks so that you are not looking at options you cannot do. For example, if your most important project has tasks that can only be done when you're on the secure network at your office or via VPN, make sure those tasks are on a list such as "On secure network."

Also, we recently did a webinar on Prioritizing in GTD. Email connect[at]davidco.com if you would like a guest pass to watch the recording.

Thank you for the suggestion!

 

[anahodil]

I find that 99% of the time when I have trouble identifying the most important next action at the moment my lists too long. This can be poorly defined contexts and I need to think of that or too much work in my system. The first thing I typically do is a minireview and pause some of those lower priority projects. That helps to filter them down to a manageable list.

After that, if you work with your contexts you are picking the higher priority from that list not necessarily working about your project. Something on your laptop might be the most important action item but if you dont have access to your laptop at the moment it doesnt matter

Thank you for the suggestion. I think one of my challenges is at work. I have several projects I am managing and can potentially be working on any one of them at any time, and while some projects are a higher priority, they are all expected to keep moving forward so sometimes it feels like I need to find the tasks that help keep all the plates spinning at any given time.

 

[anahodil]

anaholdil'

"I feel like I am getting burned out constantly trying to make sure I am working on the most important things.". . . .

While literally applying the "Eisenhower Matrix" externally might very well bog-down the crucial Weekly Review for Projects and Next Actions, ect. with much too high of an effort/time cost addition to GTD since GTD is already an 'External Brain/Methodology/System' to be suitably streamlined if anything, however, the "Eisenhower Matrix" might be GTD helpful as a Mental Habit exercise/means to build-up/develop one's natural Intuition into a more 'Trusted Intuition Muscle'?

As you see GTD fit

I had forgotten about the Eisenhower Matrix, thank you for reminding me. I think that is the root of the problem and while actually plotting each task may not happen, just remembering the model is helpful!

 

[Oogiem]

Co

I use an app to track my tasks, but I feel like I have to review the entire list to make sure I am working on the most urgent things.

Consider reducing the number of projects? Or being really clear on your contexts and only look at those you can ACTUALLY work in at any given time? Also look at your mental state? Is it morning and you are full of energy? or do you have more energy later in the day? Pick the difficult projects and contexts to work on when you are at your best.

 

[RegTech_Frank]

I feel like I am getting burned out constantly trying to make sure I am working on the most important things. I use an app to track my tasks, but I feel like I have to review the entire list to make sure I am working on the most urgent things. I can tell myself that project A is more important than project B, but that does not necessarily mean that all tasks for project A are more urgent than all tasks for project B. I have tried using priority tags, but that doesn't really seem to capture it. Am I the only one running into this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions how to prioritize their projects to help focus on the right task at the right time?

Can completely relate. It depends if you have clients or stakeholders to whom you owe a response or an action. I found when I moved from an internal role where I could define tasks and projects for myself and calendar them to a more client-focused responsive role, I have to be much more flexible and allow my importance ranking to not matter as much as what's important to the clients. Letting go of prioritization was a challenge. Getting back to working on the top priority thing when I have control of the calendar (e.g. when there's a cancelation / reschedule that leaves me "blank space") is a hard switch after spending the first half of the day in "whatever they need" mode.

I would say that the feeling of burnout is unnecessary and might be a sign you're holding on to a fixed view of how things should be that doesn't align with your reality. Be kind to yourself, take a step back and don't try to work in a way that's not working for you. Check out this talk that explores the paradox of "interruptions": https://dynamic.wakingup.com/course/COC24CF?code=SC71B3343&share_id=B6A2910B&source=content share

 

[Roger]

I feel like I am getting burned out constantly trying to make sure I am working on the most important things. I use an app to track my tasks, but I feel like I have to review the entire list to make sure I am working on the most urgent things. I can tell myself that project A is more important than project B, but that does not necessarily mean that all tasks for project A are more urgent than all tasks for project B. I have tried using priority tags, but that doesn't really seem to capture it. Am I the only one running into this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions how to prioritize their projects to help focus on the right task at the right time?

I keep quoting this one particular section of GTD over the years, as this question seems to arise regularly from time to time, and I still think this is the best answer:

So how will you decide what to do and what not to do, and feel good about both? The answer is, by trusting your intuition.

At 10:33 A.M. Monday, deciding whether to call Sandy, finish the proposal, or process your e-mails will always be an intuitive call, but with the proper preplanning you can feel much more confident about your choices.

In order to trust the rapid and intuitive judgment calls that you make about actions from moment to moment, you must consistently retrench at some more elevated level.

Hope that helps,
Roger

 

[gtdstudente]

I feel like I am getting burned out constantly trying to make sure I am working on the most important things. I use an app to track my tasks, but I feel like I have to review the entire list to make sure I am working on the most urgent things. I can tell myself that project A is more important than project B, but that does not necessarily mean that all tasks for project A are more urgent than all tasks for project B. I have tried using priority tags, but that doesn't really seem to capture it. Am I the only one running into this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions how to prioritize their projects to help focus on the right task at the right time?

anahodil,

On this end, the more intimate one's relationship is to one's objective personal GTD system then the greater one's intuition is in using one's objective personal GTD system?

One has to really 'own' their personal GTD system to really own their personal GTD system?

If anyone can "yeah, yeah" their way to their personal GTD system without patient persistence . . . then please accept the most humble of best GTD wishes

As you see GTD fit

 

[FocusGuy]

Hi @anahodil

It is very difficult to answer to this question. There are so many possibilities.

Often this feeling may come from yours engagements. May be try first the 5 why :
" Why do I I feel overwhelmed ? " then answer with yours words then ask why. Do the same 5 times (I red this in bullet journal from Ryder Caroll.)

The aim is to get clarity. Then be back after this to us.

Feeling overwhelmed has many inputs. Could be because you did n' really made you horizon (H5,H4,H3) or yours responsibilities (H2) to hard to get, or may be your system whatever it is is not well set you try to do to more (H0) or your projects are wrong (result to obtain).

From my own experience, I often feel overwhelmed because some of these subjects are not clearly identified.

Sometime too many little undone task take too much space in your head. See my last post about Things 3 and Peter Hakkies.

My be do two journaling. One per day write every incoming information on a paper notebook with rapid logging (bullet journal)
One weekly journaling about the past week and yours dreams for next week or later...

Most of all apply the 5 steps of GTD. Each are crucial and make your weekly review. GTD takes time. It is a fantastic way of life but it need a lot of energy and time to fully understand and apply.

Helping others and reading their posts helps a lot it makes us realize how our system is un perfect, how we can improve it and make it better little by little (Kaizen way).

I will add what said David Allen : Care about what is on your mind. If something is always coming back in your head there must be a reason so collect everything.

PS: None digital system will make this work for you. Softwares are just tools.

 

[schmeggahead]

Does anyone have any suggestions how to prioritize their projects to help focus on the right task at the right time?

Priority is in the eye of the beholder and most of the time, that is the eye of your client.

For you to work effectively, the horizon where you can actually act is more important than the client's perception of your project priorities. It informs your priorities but is doesn't determine them.

Projects aren't things you can do. They are outcomes you work to make a reality. Actions are where priorities meet the road. Projects are outcomes you envision for you and your client. Actions are how you accomplish those outcomes.

Your system contains the actions where you have made enough thought about what you can do, where and what you need to do them and you have put into your view of what you can do now.

When we have put enough thought into those actions, the priorities become self evident to an ever increasing degree. We do the hard work before we ever are ready to act.

When we meet with a client, we have our greatest view of their perspective of what we do for them and what they are focused on themselves. At that time, we have our best information about what and when we can best act to care for that client. When we spend time creating the outcomes for the client, the future tasks for those outcomes and the next interaction triggers for those clients, we set ourselves up for success with that client when we add them to our system.

When we have those outcomes and actions readily available to us when we can act, and also when we are contacted by that client, we can 1) act to complete for the client, 2) adjust our planned activities and interactions with that client, 3) create new opportunities for the client, 4) create future positive interaction points with the client, 5) prevent adverse outcomes for the client.

Our GTD system must be our external brain containing what we know the client wants (vision), what actions we are to take on their behalf (next actions), what outcomes we are working to achieve for that client (What done looks like for projects), what we have done for that client (completed actions & outcomes), and what we have told that client.

This is more thinking (& tracking) than you might have thought, but not as much thinking as you fear you must do.

When we wonder about whether we are working on what is most important, we probably haven't reviewed our system enough to feel comfortable about our current commitments are and what actions in what contexts we need to act to complete them. Our thinking is incomplete.

The tldr version of all that I said was this: after you meet with someone for which you are working to complete an outcome, take the time to capture the outcomes in a meaningful way, and the very next physical visible actions that you see yourself completing and if you can do them right now, in less than 2 minutes, do it. Put the next follow-up with your client into your calendar so you see it coming in your weekly reviews. It will trigger preparation to review all of that material you have saved from your thinking and actions for that client.

Hope this helps,
Clayton.

The world doesn't support static systems. - David Allen

 

[mcogilvie]

@anahodil Do you really care? What bad will happen if your choices will be optimal in 95% of cases instead of 100%?

I’m with @TesTeq here. Although there have been many useful replies posted here, at some point you have to choose between things like “work on important presentation” and ”research child’s medical condition.” You need and want to do both, and soon. Maybe there are differences in timelines that favor working on one first, maybe not. The most important thing is that you continue to be a functioning, adult human being who is moving forward on what’s important to you. Do one; if that doesn’t feel right at some point, do the other.

 

[gtdstudente]

Priority is in the eye of the beholder and most of the time, that is the eye of your client.

For you to work effectively, the horizon where you can actually act is more important than the client's perception of your project priorities. It informs your priorities but is doesn't determine them.

Projects aren't things you can do. They are outcomes you work to make a reality. Actions are where priorities meet the road. Projects are outcomes you envision for you and your client. Actions are how you accomplish those outcomes.

Your system contains the actions where you have made enough thought about what you can do, where and what you need to do them and you have put into your view of what you can do now.

When we have put enough thought into those actions, the priorities become self evident to an ever increasing degree. We do the hard work before we ever are ready to act.

When we meet with a client, we have our greatest view of their perspective of what we do for them and what they are focused on themselves. At that time, we have our best information about what and when we can best act to care for that client. When we spend time creating the outcomes for the client, the future tasks for those outcomes and the next interaction triggers for those clients, we set ourselves up for success with that client when we add them to our system.

When we have those outcomes and actions readily available to us when we can act, and also when we are contacted by that client, we can 1) act to complete for the client, 2) adjust our planned activities and interactions with that client, 3) create new opportunities for the client, 4) create future positive interaction points with the client, 5) prevent adverse outcomes for the client.

Our GTD system must be our external brain containing what we know the client wants (vision), what actions we are to take on their behalf (next actions), what outcomes we are working to achieve for that client (What done looks like for projects), what we have done for that client (completed actions & outcomes), and what we have told that client.

This is more thinking (& tracking) than you might have thought, but not as much thinking as you fear you must do.

When we wonder about whether we are working on what is most important, we probably haven't reviewed our system enough to feel comfortable about our current commitments are and what actions in what contexts we need to act to complete them. Our thinking is incomplete.

The tldr version of all that I said was this: after you meet with someone for which you are working to complete an outcome, take the time to capture the outcomes in a meaningful way, and the very next physical visible actions that you see yourself completing and if you can do them right now, in less than 2 minutes, do it. Put the next follow-up with your client into your calendar so you see it coming in your weekly reviews. It will trigger preparation to review all of that material you have saved from your thinking and actions for that client.

Hope this helps,
Clayton.

The world doesn't support static systems. - David Allen

"The world doesn't support static systems. - David Allen"

Very GTD nice

Thank you very GTD much

 

[Gardener]

Thank you for the suggestion. I think one of my challenges is at work. I have several projects I am managing and can potentially be working on any one of them at any time, and while some projects are a higher priority, they are all expected to keep moving forward so sometimes it feels like I need to find the tasks that help keep all the plates spinning at any given time.

Consider that actively working on multiple projects kinda-simultaneously, when you don't have to, is likely to cost you more in context switching than you're gaining by choosing the perfect task every time.

I'm trying to find the name of the guy (Gerald Weinberg!) who said that every project you're working on, beyond just one project, consumes twenty percent of your time in task switching. So one project? One hundred percent on one. Two projects? Forty percent on each of two, twenty percent lost. Three projects? Twenty percent on each of three, forty percent lost. And so on. When you get to five projects, you're just spinning around getting very little done.

Yes, it's a rule of thumb. Yes, it doesn't always apply to everything. Yes, part of GTD's purpose is, IMO, to reduce that effect. BUT-- acting like it's true is likely to work better than acting like context switching will cost you nothing.

So I would suggest that you choose the project that you most want to make serious progress on today, or this week, or this month, and make that your top priority, EVEN WHEN the task of the moment, for that project, is so very low priority.

You could give yourself some setup time, maybe even a project, "Prep for widget project by putting other projects on autopilot." Create and work some tasks to minimize the cost of your narrowed focus--for the to-be-neglected projects, assure that impatient customer that you'll get with him next week, apologize to the other one that their deadline is moving a month, schedule the meetings with the people who are hard to get calendar time for, order that software, get HR started on that hire you need to do. And then, to the extent humanly possible, for the already determined interval, pretend that the project of the week/month is the only project. Fill your brain with that project. Focus.

That's my advice. When I was lead programmer for...seven(?) small database applications, that's what kept me alive.

Edited to add: And, yes, then I burned out--all those spinning plates left me with no resilience when other, more toxic issues came up. Now I work a different job. I'm better off. But it's better to avoid the burnout in the first place, so start looking at burnout causes, and start forcing yourself to change responses.

"I can't possibly delay/delegate/cancel..."
"Yes. Yes, I can. People. Might. Be. Angry. and all the same? Yes, I can."

Burnout is a wall that you hit at high speed with no headlights. I know the day I hit it. I know that I hit it in the afternoon, not the morning. Nothing dramatic happened--all that happened was that my brain said, "You know all that zero-reward stuff that I've been giving you motivation and creativity to do? That's not working for me any more. I'm done." And it was done, and every minute of productive work after that was a pitched battle.

 

[FocusGuy]

So I would suggest that you choose the project that you most want to make serious progress on today, or this week, or this month, and make that your top priority, EVEN WHEN the task of the moment, for that project, is so very low priority.

This is one of the most important advice I would also suggest.
GTD is a fantastic system but sometime you can get overwhelmed by the huge number of choices. It happened to me and affected my mental health. Until I understood than each task was not I ought to but a choice proposal.

One of the technique that's still saving me is choosing a limited project for the week. I do it usually during my weekly review and write it on my bullet journal on a specific page at the end of the week so I can evaluate if I did them or not. I also do it day per day. No more than one project a day. (I used to do 5, than 2 now it is one)

I make this choice according to my horizons of focus. H5, H4, H3

It looks me years to understand that. Having a long list for today of 25 tasks drove me mad. Now I do 5 core tasks and one project. I also do a lot of incoming work according to the 2 mn rules. 2 mn rule can be in certain case a 20 mn rush focus on one project only.